Goal to recoup part of municipality's eroding tax base

SYDNEY — A Glace Bay neighbourhood will be the focus of a revitalization effort by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality with the aim of recouping some of its eroding residential tax base.

Boarded-up company houses with one side occupied — a common sight in the Glace Bay area — are seen on Fourth Street in New Aberdeen. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe - Cape Breton Post

Council approved a staff recommendation to establish a steering committee that will oversee the pilot project in New Aberdeen.

Rick Fraser, the municipality’s manager of bylaws and inspections, said staff chose this neighbourhood based on statistics that show 55 per cent of the land parcels in the community are either empty lots or have vacant buildings on them.

“The first part of this is to develop a land bank,” Fraser said during council’s general committee meeting on Tuesday.

“Those properties, in turn, will be used as our contribution because we’re going to get this back as (property) tax.

“We will use the land in the land bank to negotiate with private developers, the province and the federal government to access the funding for affordable housing units in the community.”

To make the area a more attractive place to live, there would be fewer but wider lots, with space for community gardens, recreational space and other features such as small local businesses like a barbershop or a corner store.

Changes in the land-use bylaw could be made to accommodate those businesses, Fraser said.

He added that there are programs, particularly through the federal government and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., which support neighbourhood revitalization projects and affordable housing initiatives.

The steering committee, which will consist of CBRM staff, the local councillor for the area, as well as a representative from the province and the neighbourhood, would be responsible for collecting data on the area and seeking available funding.

Fraser said he’s confident there would be interest in the project given the province has a newly formed housing strategy and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. has a record of supporting neighbourhood revitalization efforts.

A co-ordinated housing strategy using private and public partners would mean the pilot project could be funded without money from CBRM, he added.

That statement drew skeptical looks from a few councillors.

“Coupled with no cost, there’s no money, (or) commitment to the project by anyone. I get a little leery when I see that,” said Dist. 6 Coun. Ray Paruch.

Deputy mayor Kevin Saccary was turned off of the idea because of what he considered a lack of staff consultation of council and the fact other neighbourhoods in the CBRM weren’t considered for the project.

He suggested the steering committee could set the parameters for possible revitalization projects in other communities in need of help.

“Let’s do the whole municipality … but don’t exclude me and my community on this whole process,” said Saccary, who was the only council member to vote against the proposal.

“If you want to create a data map, create that first for all communities, then if you want to set up this (steering) committee, then fine.”

Other areas noted to be in “distress” by municipal staff included No. 11 in Glace Bay, and parts of Sydney and Sydney Mines.

The neighbourhood revitalization process won’t have any effect on the demolition of derelict buildings in the CBRM.

There were 700 of the vacant and abandoned structures when a survey was first conducted in 2007.

Fraser said the number of buildings now numbers approximately 100 in the municipality, as some were torn down and others were reoccupied or refurbished.

He said 19 of those buildings slated for demolition are located in New Aberdeen, and will remain on the list.

“They’ll continue to stay (on the list) and they’ll be demolished as they go through the process.”

The CBRM says that in neighbourhoods with a large number of vacant and derelict buildings, a “feeling of distress looms over the entire neighbourhood.” The following is how a neighbourhood can transition into decay:

• Vacant buildings become prey to vandals and a hangout for kids.

• Graffiti and trash appear on/in and around the vacant buildings.

• Vacant buildings become targets for arson and fire.

• Crime associated with vacant buildings become prevalent in the neighbourhood.

• Property owners begin to ignore the maintenance of their property.

• Other people from the community tend to avoid going into the neighbourhood.

• The neighbourhood becomes isolated from the rest of the community.

• CBRM then faces a declining tax base from vacant buildings and depreciated value for the remaining properties.

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Recent comments

Shirley S.

March 07, 2014 - 12:30

I for one Believe. In New Aberdeen and it's people,I hung around with many Beautiful people as well as went to school here...My family Also operated a Successful Business for 25 years the community supported us till the end when fire took our store...but with the a Drug Situatiof it was hard to rebuild ,scared of a Crime,,,Drugs took over ...I know and believe that New Aberdeen deserves another chance to prove what we can become again....a Stronger Community!!!!

First of all your a joke. We are not all poor.These homes are one of the best ever built, yes these homes taking a beating from the oceans salt waters and high winds.Some do look bad,a lot of these homes are still in the families that first bought them. So please , you sound very stupid and ignorant .

It would be a great idea for the municipality to force people to clean up their properties in the New Aberdeen area as well! There are properties littered with junk and garage, old cars, etc.! A community needs its people to take pride in their properties, in order for a new outlook to thrive! And just to state an example of a messy property, is the one just past the Radio club, before the ball field! People need to get lawnmowers out during the summers, and cut the ridiculous amount of crab grass and weeds down that have for the most part over taken the area. Help your neighbours, and get off your lazy arses. Tear down every single house that is not being used. Stop throwing garbage out your car windows.

New Aberdeen was covered in asphalt and curb and gutter under the last councillor's direction to the neglect of the rest of the ward. The residents of Currie and Rochdale have been promised road improvements for years and nothing has been done so far but filling potholes.

As someone who was born and brought up and went to school in New Aberdeen, I am very happy to hear that the community will be revitalized. I want to wish every success to those involved. My father purchased land from the Dominion Coal Co. back in the day and built his own home...with the help of his brothers and brothers-in-law...and when I visited a year ago, it was still looking beautifully maintained, for which my family felt grateful to the current owner. It is one of only three or four non-Company houses on our street.... With the collapse of the coal industry, many miners moved away to find work elsewhere, part of the ongoing history of Cape Breton. I hope the municipal government will follow through with its revitalization plans and I shall follow their progress with great interest. Thank you for all that you are doing.

The reason why Number 2 has so many houses falling down is because the home owners cannot afford to keep up the repairs. Most long time residence are the working poor,lucky to be able to afford the basics let alone thousands in repairs/upkeep..So what go remortgage your home that you cannot even get insurance on ?? No u just pray every day that nothing major happens or you will be one of the unfortunate who will be left with a hefty bill or worse yet nothing!

Well I live in New Aberdeen and make $200k a year in the oil patch in Ft.Mac...Does this mean I am the "working poor", No, it does not, my family lives there and I only pay $400 a year in taxes...Maybe the working "smart" would be a better description. And I know quite a few other people in #2 that work out west and prefer to live here.

New Aberdeen.

March 06, 2014 - 16:09

I have lived here many years,we are far from poor.And I like it here as well.You sound stupid(Nochoice).

Cheryl

March 06, 2014 - 07:03

Well it is about time, the New Aberdeen area could be a beautiful area of town since it is surrounded by the ocean, and alot of people who vacation in Cape Breton love our ocean views.